->"''There exists, in all of us, a deep-seated fascination for the unknown. An adventurous spirit that rejects the familiar and glories in the unfamiliar, whatever - or whomever - it may be.''"-->-- Xenophile Ethos blurb, ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}''

Xenophile: a person who likes foreigners or things foreign [from Greek, from xeno- + -phile]. And by foreigners, '''we mean aliens'''. And not just humans who live in another country, either.

Aliens can be IntriguedByHumanity or a FantasticAnthropologist, but what about the inverse -- when a ''human'' character is obsessed with everything alien? This is often an evolved NaiveNewcomer character in SpeculativeFiction, and serves the same function in being a go-between and (sometimes literal) translator between a strange alien culture and the reader/viewer. Unlike a NaiveNewcomer, however, the Xenophile doesn't need another character to tell him or her about the alien culture we meet -- they can provide all (or at least, most) of the exposition themselves, cheerfully and enthusiastically! In fact, they're so enthusiastic they probably have neglected their relationships with their fellow humans. In addition to appearing in ScienceFiction, this trope can also appear in Fantasy literature where a human character is enthusiastic about non-human races and cultures.

Note: This is not about a character who is attracted to aliens in another way... there's [[BoldlyComing a different trope]] for that, although the two can easily be combined. Contrast AliensAreBastards. Also contrast AbsoluteXenophobe. Again, aliens-liking-human-culture examples are a different trope and belong in IntriguedByHumanity or FantasticAnthropologist. Compare NightmareFetishist; if the aliens are [[StarfishAliens weird]] [[EldritchAbomination enough]], both can apply to the same character. Compare AdmiringTheAbomination, where a character (often TheSmartGuy) reacts to an alien threat with both excitement and fear.----

!!Examples:

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[[folder:Anime and Manga]]* The eponymous character from ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya''.* Solomon in ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic'' is fascinated with the non-human races' culture and was like a child in a candyshop when a group of manticore beasts invited him to spend the night in their underground city.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]* [[Characters/GLGreenLanternCorps Sodam Yat]] was born and raised in an AbsoluteXenophobe society. That didn't stop him from befriending an alien named Tessog who crash-landed on Daxam. Sadly, his parents found out, murdered Tessog, and brainwashed their son to hate aliens again. Sodam only regained his memories when he saw his friend's stuffed corpse in a museum. He became disgusted with Daxam's xenophobia and spent years repairing Tessog's ship so he could leave Daxam forever. The courage and determination it took for him to do this made Sodam worthy of becoming a Green Lantern.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]* Ellie Arroway from ''Film/{{Contact}}'', both the book and the movie - at least when it comes to the ''idea'' of aliens and how to make contact with them.* Several main characters in ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' are this to some degree.* In ''Film/EnemyMine'', a human and a Drac pilot who are on opposites sides of an space war learn to set aside their racial and political differences to survive on a hostile planet. They start out trying to kill each other, but become good friends.* Elizabeth Shaw from ''Film/{{Prometheus}}'' is initially fascinated with the possibility of encountering the alien creators of humanity. [[spoiler:That all changes once she discovers [[AliensAreBastards the Engineers are monsters]] that want to [[AbusivePrecursors wipe out humanity]].]]* Dr. Newton AKA "Newt" from ''Film/PacificRim'' is a self-proclaimed {{Kaiju}} fanboy. His torso and arms are covered in various tattoos of the monstrous creatures, and he reacts to Hannibal Chau's Kaiju organ black market with a giddy {{Nerdgasm}}. [[BunnyEarsLawyer Naturally, he's also a leading expert on Kaiju physiology]].[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]* Bren Cameron of Creator/CJCherryh's ''Literature/{{Foreigner}}'' series of books. Meant to be an envoy/translator from the human government to the native aliens, he essentially defects to the alien side.* Willis E. Davidge, from Barry Longyear's ''Literature/TheEnemyPapers'', turns out this way, getting a thorough education in Drac culture after being stranded on an ice planet with a Drac for quite a while. Note that he and the Drac were fighter pilots ''trying to kill each other in a war between the two species''. [[spoiler: In a subsequent story set in the same 'verse, ''The Last Enemy'', we learn he's devoted his ''life'' to teaching little dracs the way of Talman, the Drac equivalent of a holy book/history of science/scientific literature rolled into one.]]* A few different characters in Creator/LarryNiven's ''Literature/KnownSpace'' books. Beowulf Schaeffer and Louis Wu come to mind. At least one of them explicitly referred to himself as a xenophile.* Christopher Holm in ''Literature/ThePeopleOfTheWind'' by Creator/PoulAnderson spends time hanging out with Ythrians, is adopted into a Ythrian clan, and translates Ythrian poetry.[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV]]* Many of ''Series/DoctorWho's'' companions seem to end up like this, so caught up with time travel they don't want to go back to their own time.* Daniel Jackson of ''Series/StargateSG1'', seemingly much more at home interacting with the many different cultures and races he's met through the Stargate than he ever is on Earth. He is an anthropologist, after all.* Several human, alien-wannabes in ''Series/EarthFinalConflict'' and ''Series/AlienNation''.* Some among both Minbari and Humans are starting to become interested in each other's cultures in ''Series/BabylonFive'', though many remain resentful.** In times of CivilWar Earth propaganda works to paint Sheridan as an insane Minbari worshipper.* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':** Jadzia Dax gets along with Ferengi, humans, and not least klingons.** Sisko meanwhile seems to love Bajoran culture to the point that he decides to build a house there. Despite being born on Earth, as the Prophets put it he is, like them, "OF Bajor".

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[[folder:Tabletop RPG]]* "Xenophilia" is one of the possible disadvantages in ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' (applying to anyone exotic, not just nonhumans). It's a disadvantage because it makes you trust potentially nasty creatures more than you should.* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'': this is something the Imperial Inquisition's ''Ordo Xenos'' works very hard to avert. It doesn't always work, however, due to the monumental size of the task, the subtlety of some of the aliens or the humans involved, and the simple fact that you typically [[AFateWorseThanDeath don't want to attract the attention of the Inquisition]].** Many Imperial citizens that live near the [[ALighterShadeOfGray Tau Empire]] are attracted to their "Greater Good" philosophy, and its less brutal treatment of its citizens.** Some members of the [[MachineWorship Adeptus Mechanicus]] are obsessed with the [[SkeleBot9000 Necrons]] and their mind-bogglingly advanced technology. And extreme fringe group of the Mechanicus consider the Necrons to be holy warriors. It doesn't help that the Machine God is possibly one of the Necron's own omnicidal deities [[SealedEvilInACan chained down and sealed away]]. Other, known as the Xenarites, study any alien technology they can get, under the reasoning that since all technology comes from the Machine God, all technology is sacred, even that of the Xenos.** There's even a form of radical group in the inquisition known as the Xeno Hybris who believe that humanity has more to gain from cooperating with ([[BlackAndGrayMorality certain carefully selected]]) Xenos than through exterminating them.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]* Yeoman Kelly Chambers in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' is thoroughly fascinated by all aliens, which is rather untypical for a member of the pro-human extremist organization Cerberus. However, she says that pro-human does not necessarily mean anti-alien. This stance changes in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' when she finds out that Cerberus really ''is'' anti-alien at its core, realising how she was manipulated by them.** Paragon Shepard definitely comes across as this; and a Shepard of any alignment has the option of having [[BoldlyComing trysts and/or relationships with alien characters]]. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the respect and admiration that Shepard has fostered throughout the galaxy is a key factor in bringing them together in the war effort.* In ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations II'', when culture suddenly booms it's credited to/blamed on the Xenophiles (Depending on whether your planets are deep in someone else's territory, or theirs are in yours)* In ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'' Xenophile/Xenophobe is one of the ethical axis that Empires can select. Xenophiles have a bonus to diplomatic relations and will tolerate mixed-species populations more readily.[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Comics]]* In ''Webcomic/{{Spacetrawler}}'' Dmitri is known for sleeping with any species that is at least 50% sexually compatible with humans.* Fabian of ''Webcomic/{{Zoophobia}}'' is a known advocate of interspecies relationships, and is particularly attracted to humanoids (he's a TalkingAnimal).[[/folder]]----